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Welcome Week: New Faces at Catholic Noles
School is back in session!
Well, technically it wasn't, but the students were back, freshmen were moving in, and taking their first few steps in college.
Welcome Week is always a busy time for Catholic Noles. As new students flood into Tallahassee, it’s important to be attentive to their needs.
Well…if you ask CSU…three things:
Jesus.
Food.
And sports!
The week may not have happened in that order, but when it comes to priorities, we’re starting with the most important one.
On Saturday of Welcome Week, Catholic Noles hosted a retreat for incoming freshmen. The retreat gave students a chance to deepen some of the relationships they had already begun making throughout the week while introducing them more fully to the faith community at Catholic Noles.
The day included Mass, small groups, prayer, and fellowship.
CSU junior Hannah Ramundo was among the returning students who helped lead the freshmen on the retreat. She gave a testimony about her faith in Jesus in front of the freshmen. It was special for many reasons, but one really stood out to her:
“I think it was really special because I was in their shoes two years ago. I was sitting exactly where they were, listening to the exact same talk. I actually kind of used notes from the talk I heard my freshman year.”
She was also moved by the fact that these freshmen were choosing to spend their first Saturday at FSU on a Catholic retreat:
“I think there’s immense significance in the fact that the freshmen chose their first Saturday of their school year with God. It was really inspiring to hear some of the girls in my small group saying that they’re excited to make the faith their own.”
That takes care of the first and most important need.
Next on our list: food.
On Friday night, students gathered for a barbecue outside the Co-Cathedral. It was a chance for new students to meet each other and for returning students to say hello to friends they hadn’t seen over the summer. Games were played, music was heard, and plenty of food was eaten.
This year, Catholic Noles is also welcoming not just a bunch of first-year students, but a first-year FOCUS missionary.
Thomas Donovan graduated this past spring from Clemson and felt the Lord calling him to college ministry through FOCUS. After a long summer of training at Ave Maria University, he made his way to Tallahassee to begin walking alongside the students of FSU, FAMU, and TSC.
The barbecue gave Thomas the opportunity to meet some of those new and returning students, including one freshman who stood out to him:
“I met a guy at the barbecue, and I could tell he was nervous. He was a freshman, but it meant a lot to hear him immediately open himself up to me and talk about how involved he wants to get with Catholic Noles. The barbecue was a really good opportunity to meet new people through games and food!”
And then there’s sports.
This one actually kicked off the week. On Wednesday, CSU headed to Landis Green, where students and missionaries set up Spikeball, volleyball, cornhole, and soccer…and lots of fun followed.
Jesus, food, and sports may sound like a pretty simple formula for Welcome Week. But behind all three was the same goal: giving students a place to meet people, build friendships, and begin finding a home at the Catholic Student Union.
Year after year, Welcome Week gives students the chance to make those connections early in college. Hopefully, the relationships that began this week will continue to grow throughout the year—and for years to come.
